Chapter 22 - Minotaur. (Patreon)

I quickly ran toward the source of the explosion. The seventh floor wasn't particularly difficult to navigate, so I found the place where it had happened in no time. It was a large chamber.

Structures like this are common inside the Dungeon.

There are plenty of corridors, but there are also these wider chambers. Some of them even resemble boss rooms. Dust still hung in the air, making it extremely unpleasant to breathe.

Then, more explosions echoed through the chamber, sending even more dust into the air.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The sound resembled an explosion, but it wasn't actually an explosion.

"Urgh... That was close."

I heard the girl's voice again. Now that I could hear it more clearly, I recognized it. It was a voice I had heard not long ago.

"Bella!"

Bella emerged from the dust. As soon as she heard my voice, she turned toward me and shouted,

"What are you doing here? Hide, now!"

Her body was covered in wounds, blood, and dust. She gripped her expensive knife as though it were the most precious thing in the world.

"What do you mean, 'hide'? Who do you think I am?" I said with a smile.

Then, at last, the creature revealed itself.

ROOOAARR!

With a roar like that of a lion, a humanoid creature three times my size stepped into view. It had the head of a bull, with enormous horns protruding from its skull.

Its eyes were filled with hatred.

A killing machine.

"What is that thing doing here?" I asked Bella.

Bella clicked her tongue and moved closer to me. She knew I was stronger and could help her.

Once she was beside me, she said, "Do you think I know? I ran into that thing, and it suddenly started chasing me."

"A monster from the fifteenth floor showing up on the seventh? That's strange."

'Is the original story still unfolding even though Bell has become a girl?'

No... that couldn't be it.

"Here it comes!"

The Minotaur planted its feet firmly on the ground and used its overwhelming leg strength to charge straight at us. It rushed toward us like a freight train, cracking the floor beneath its weight before swinging both arms in an attempt to crush us.

Bella and I split up and dodged in opposite directions.

Unable to stop its momentum, the Minotaur slammed into the Dungeon wall, causing another thunderous crash.

I quickly looked around before rushing over to Bella.

"You need to get out of here as fast as possible. I won't be able to protect you while fighting this thing. What level are you? Level One?"

"Level Two."

"Level Two? I see. Even so, it's better if you stay away."

"You're planning to fight that thing by yourself? I can help. I don't need you to protect me."

"I'll be more confident if I fight alone."

Bella clicked her tongue after hearing that.

"Here it comes."

The Minotaur snorted and charged at us once again. I avoided its attack by leaping away, but Bella had a harder time. She barely managed to dodge. Rolling across the ground, she immediately rushed toward the Minotaur while it was still recovering from crashing into the Dungeon wall.

She slashed at it with her knife.

However, it was only a shallow cut.

Bella clicked her tongue again before shouting,

"Are you just going to stand there watching!? Do something with that sword!"

Hearing her words, I smiled and activated the "Boost" skill.

"Let's see if I can take on a monster like this using only my sword."

"What do you mean by that!?"

Ignoring Bella's question, I closed the distance to the Minotaur in an instant.

I swung my sword, aiming at the lower part of its body in an attempt to limit its movements.

The sword I was using wasn't particularly high quality, but it was still enough to carve a deep wound into the back of the Minotaur's knees.

It let out a roar of pain.

After I wounded it, the Minotaur became even more enraged. It began swinging its massive body around clumsily, trying to hit me.

It completely forgot about Bella's presence.

Taking advantage of the opening, she attacked the exact same spot I had cut.

This time, her knife pierced deeply into the wound, making the Minotaur stagger.

Even so, its movements remained incredibly fierce.

"Bella, get back!" I shouted after noticing that the Minotaur was preparing a dangerous attack.

The Minotaur let out a deafening roar before stomping both feet against the ground.

Its roar was terrifying. It probably carried some sort of magical effect.

Bella froze in fear, though fortunately she had already retreated.

I felt slightly intimidated as well, but not enough to stop moving.

I charged toward the Minotaur in a single second and slashed the same spot once more.

This time, the wound was devastatingly deep.

The Minotaur's legs gave way beneath it, and blood began gushing from its injuries.

Satisfied, I smiled and walked over to Bella.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah... I'm fine."

"I see. It won't be able to move very well now, so don't worry."

The moment I finished speaking, the Minotaur slammed both fists against the ground and the Dungeon wall.

Then it tore off several large chunks of rock and hurled them toward us.

"Shit!"

Bella's legs were still trembling, and she wouldn't be able to move in time.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her out of the way.

The boulders crashed into the spot where we had been standing only moments before, shattering into countless pieces.

If they had hit us...

It would have been extremely painful.

We would have been seriously injured.

"I got a little too distracted," I said with a smile, looking at Bella.

"I'm going to kill this thing."

"Maybe doing that will help me reach Level Four."

"Then hurry up," Bella replied, breathing heavily.